What Taste of Chicago's date change might mean for Summerfest

For years the Big Gig’s biggest competition has been the Taste of Chicago, the Midwest’s other super-sized food and music festival that’s frequently run during the same time period. But Taste, which had a record 3.6 million attendees just six years ago (three times more than Summerfest’s million-plus visitors in 2001 and 2002), is undergoing some major changes in 2012, not only reducing its length from 10 days to five, but most significantly for Summerfest, shifting its start date to July 11, three days after Summerfest ends its 11-day run this year. (Taste has been a money loser for the City of Chicago in recent years, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The date change follows a more concerted effort to reduce costs that last year included the reduction of major music acts and elimination of the July 3rd fireworks display.)

Now traditional Taste-goers will have to find other outlets for their July 4th holiday festivities. With Summerfest being by far the biggest fest in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets, it’s poised to benefit from an attendance bump, speculates John Boler, vice president of marketing and sales for Summerfest’s parent company, Milwaukee World Festival Inc.

“We estimate that approximately 18% of our attendees are coming from northern Illinois or the Chicago area,” Boler said. “With this change that may open up more opportunity for that number to grow. In the past there were probably some Chicago-area residents that on days where the two events overlapped had to make a choice: ‘Are we going to Summerfest or are we staying in town to check out the Taste of Chicago?’ This change is going to eliminate that.”

Despite this prediction, Boler says Summerfest officials are hedging their expectations for the summer, estimating attendance to still be between 825,000 and 925,000. Even if attendance does go up, credit will have to go to other contributing factors, from the talent (Lady Antebellum and Neil Diamond are already confirmed), to the promotions in play, to the completion of a two-year $35 million renovation project (including a new venue that will replace the M&I Classic Rock Stage) to be completed just in time for Summerfest’s 45th anniversary this summer.

There is one change that might some Summerfest fans may not be happy about: General admission is going up a buck to $16. “Its important to note that we’ve managed to hold ticket prices for six continual years,” Boler says. “At this point we don’t anticipate any changes in beer pricing and we will continue to offer as we have in the past free discounted admission opportunities for every day of the fest.”

About Piet Levy

Piet Levy covers music for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and TapMilwaukee.com. For more music updates, you can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram​.